The
Consultation
At the Cole Clinic, you are given a warm reception
in a very comfortable, friendly office setting. The personal and professional
attention you receive will put you at ease and allow you to ask any
questions that you may have.
Initially, the nurse will greet you and assist you in completing the
medical and hair loss questionnaire. This will be used by Dr. Cole to
determine your health status, degree of hair loss and risk of further
balding. This information assists Dr. Cole in the planning of your hair
transplant procedure.
Dr. Cole will then give you a personal 20-30 minute consultation. This
is where he determines your individual goals, desires, and wishes and
combines them with his knowledge, experience and artistic skills to
provide you with one of the most state-of-the-art hair transplantation
procedures in the world. Dr. Cole's attention to detail in the planning
stages ensures a natural appearing final result. During the consultation
he will be able to give you recommendations on the number of grafts,
indicate where the hairline should be defined, the number of procedures
possible, your hair type and degree of coverage to be expected with
each session, and the number of sessions likely required to meet your
expectations.
The
Procedure
After the consultation with Dr. Cole, a date for the procedure will
be made. You will meet with Dr. Cole to go over the details of the surgery,
ask any questions that you might have, and be prepped for the procedure.
Be prepared to spend 4-6 hours of your day with us, depending on the
size of your session. Dr. Cole will then begin to remove the donor tissue
from the back and sides of the scalp once it has been numbed with a
local anesthetic. This tissue will be cut and sorted into the number
of hairs that are needed for each graft. The incision in the donor scalp
will be sutured; these sutures will remain from 7-14 days. The recipient
area of the scalp will then be numbed and Dr. Cole will create tiny
slits in the balding scalp where the waiting grafts are to be inserted.
It is at this time that Dr. Cole’s skill and artistry will become
apparent. In the front hairline, the slits will be placed in a planned,
but random pattern to make the hairline very natural looking. This insertion
process typically lasts 1-3 hours. There is typically little discomfort
during the procedure. You may watch a DVD, engage in conversation, or
just relax during this time. A dressing will be placed over your scalp,
and a toque (knitted cap), or bandana will cover the area for your return
home. You will be given medications and asked to return the next day.
The
Day Following Surgery
You will come into the office and have your dressing removed, your hair
shampooed, as well as receiving instruction on how to care for your
transplant during the next several days.
Suture
Removal
Between 7 and 14 days after your procedure, you will return to our office
and the sutures will be removed.
After
Care
Within 24 hours after your surgery, small crusts will form on each graft;
these will heal and shed in 7-14 days. The grafted hairs will then take
3-4 months to start to regrow, and will continue to grow for a lifetime.
Our staff will be in touch with you during the following year to check
on your progress, and to answer any questions you may have. You can
also call or make an appointment to visit us at any time.
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